The Boston Red Sox are starting Payton Tolle on Monday and were initially expected to start Sonny Gray on Tuesday.
However, the team will skip Gray's start on Tuesday. Interim manager Chad Tracy has noted that Gray is fine physically, and according to The Boston Globe's Tim Healey, skipping Gray's start is part of the Red Sox's plan to keep their starters healthy and line up their rotation for October.
"Take a few extra days, get your body right,” Gray explained when discussing the decision to skip his Tuesday start.
Gray's next start is scheduled for Saturday against the Baltimore Orioles. Even though the Red Sox have not clinched anything yet, they have a pretty good idea of what their path to the World Series looks like. They will likely slot in as the No. 5 seed in the American League.
Their likeliest opponent is the New York Yankees, who own the season series against them. If the Yankees pass the Tampa Bay Rays in the standings, the Red Sox will head to Tampa Bay. The regular season is winding down, and with their spot pretty much set in stone heading into the final month, it's wise for the Red Sox to start thinking about rest and their postseason rotation. Jake Bennett had a start skipped recently and just delivered a gem against the Yankees.
Rest is very valuable at this point in the year, and Gray, who has pitched in 14 seasons, is a prime candidate to have his workload decreased in the final month.